European Diary: A dense smog descended on Belgium last week. Unusual weather patterns characterised by low wind speeds and temperature inversions were blamed for the poor air.
On the Brussels metro, commuters were warned about the pollution, which kills about 10,000 Belgians prematurely each year, and were praised - in English - for "contributing not to worsen the situation by choosing to take public transport".
Down at the European Commission headquarters in the the Berlaymont, Margot Wallström, the commissioner for institutional relations and communications, was having her own difficulties trying to cut through the "fog" that governs the EU's relationship with the public. Her much-anticipated White Paper on a European communication policy was published to howls of derision from a Brussels press corps angered by suggestions that the EU would consider setting up a "press agency" and upgrading its satellite service "Europe By Satellite" to offer "stories" rather than the images and video footage that it already provides.
In fact, the idea of a specific EU press agency to report on European affairs was removed from the White Paper at the last moment over officials' concerns that it would be perceived as providing propaganda rather than news. But in a PR blunder, the commission left the reference in its French language version of the paper, leading cynical press colleagues to joke about the setting up of an EU equivalent to the old Soviet news agency Tass.
A day after the publication of the White Paper, officials were also rowing back on Ms Wallström's beefed up "Europe By Satellite" service. Her proposal to hire more journalists to produce "stories" was watered down to a service that would provide more "pictures", and it was stressed that no firm decisions on employing extra journalists would be taken until after the six-month consultation process is finished.
Of course, the public retractions came a day too late and the invitation for a spot of "Brussels bashing" was gleefully accepted by the media. The Daily Mail declared in its headline "For EU news, watch the BBC (Brussels Broadcasting Corp)", while the Financial Times chuckled about Wallström getting caught in a "spinning maelstrom".
So while the White Paper outlined a "communications gap" between citizens and the European institutions, the general consensus from the media last week was that the commission couldn't even communicate its own policy on communications.
It is not that the commission hasn't had enough practice. The White Paper is the third commission document on communications published in the last year. So far we have had an Action plan on communications and Plan D for democracy, dialogue and debate, which seeks to involve citizens in an intense debate on the EU. The impetus to communicate with citizens grew out of the French and Dutch rejections of the EU constitution and declining support for the Union, as shown in the eurobarometer polls. But most EU observers remain sceptical about its latest communication strategy, with many criticising the turgid language in the text.
There are few concrete initiatives in the 13-page document capable of matching the high-minded rhetoric of the White Paper, which promises "citizen-centred communication" and "a decisive move away from the one-way communication to a reinforced dialogue".
For example, the paper proposes a code of conduct on communications for all EU institutions, governments and non-governmental organisations. This voluntary code would seek to create a common commitment to ensure that communications policy serves the citizen. Yet there is no explanation of how this would work in practice, nor any discussion of introducing a freedom of information act to give citizens access to EU information - an idea regularly floated by NGOs and citizens' groups to improve communications.
Another proposal in the paper is to transform libraries into digitally-connected European libraries that could work as information and learning centres. This would ensure that all citizens would have free access to information technologies and relevant information. Yet surely this is exactly how libraries with internet access already operate today.
Of course, there are some good ideas in the paper too. Expanding the highly-successful Erasmus scheme at universities, which has developed a network connecting 150,000 students across all member states, is clearly a way to educate and inform young people about Europe. More teacher exchanges across the EU are also a means to exchange ideas in education and build up more personal contacts throughout Europe.
But good presentation is the key to launching any policy and Ms Wallström may now struggle to get member states to buy into her proposals, many of which depend on national and local governments for implementation. "Dreadful" was how one diplomat described the launch of the communications White Paper last week.
So don't expect the dense fog that hangs over EU decision-making to lift just yet.